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It is unknown when this opulent Chinesejunk was built, but she would become the flagship of CaptainSao Feng. Feared throughout the South China Seas, Sao Feng's pirate junk brought despair into the hearts of respectable merchants from the Gulf of Siam to Macao.[2] She would take part in Sao Feng's assistance in Jack Sparrow's search for the Shadow Gold.[3]

Because of Sao Feng's apparent double-cross, Beckett ordered the Flying Dutchman to give chase, and the Empress was attacked the following night. Cannonfire struck the captain's cabin, mortally wounding Sao Feng as he attempted to seduce Elizabeth Swann. While the crew fought against Davy Jones' crew, Feng gave Elizabeth his piece of eight and gave her captaincy of the Empress, asking her to go to Shipwreck Cove and meet with the Brethren Court in his place. Though Tai Huang did not consider Elizabeth a fitting replacement, the crew did not hesitate in assuring Davy Jones that she was indeed the captain.[1]

AdmiralJames Norrington ordered the Empress was towed by the Flying Dutchman and, in his respect for Elizabeth Swann, sent the crew alive to the Dutchman's brig. During the voyage, Norrington decided to help Elizabeth by setting the crew free, and sacrificed himself to a delusional Bootstrap Bill Turner to allow Elizabeth and her crew to return to their ship. The Empress would reached Shipwreck Cove, where Elizabeth represented Sao Feng in the Brethren Court meeting.[1]

During the Fourth Brethren Court, Elizabeth was voted as the new Pirate King. With her new kingship, Elizabeth ordered the Brethren to prepare for war against Lord Beckett. The Empress was part of the Brethren's armada that met with Beckett's armada. By this time, Tai Huang was given command of the Empress while Elizabeth helped out aboard the Black Pearl, which served as the Brethren's flagship.

After the release of the sea goddess Calypso from her human form, the Empress crew witnessed the battle around Calypso's maelstrom. After the battle, which resulted in the death of Davy Jones and Lord Cutler Beckett, Tai Huang and the crew celebrated the pirates' victory.[1] The ship's further fate is unknown.

Feared throughout the South China Seas, Sao Feng's pirate junk brought despair into the hearts of respectable merchants from the Gulf of Siam to Macao.[2] The Empress was an opulent junk with sturdy internal walls and sails strengthened by bamboo battens. The junk's aerodynamic sails were not square-rigged as with its Western counterparts, but angled toward the wind, allowing the Empress to sail almost straight into it. A traditional "eye", thought to provide the ship with vision, was painted on the green hull of the Empress. The vessel could hold up to six hundred tons of cargo, and the forward hold was commonly used as a mobile prison. In a cutaway of the Empress it is shown that some prisoners were kept in this prison too long, with their bones still hanging from their shackles.

The vessel was armed with fifteen heavy iron cannons, loaded both with typical cannonballs and "stink bombs": an ancient Chinese practice wherein clay pots loaded with gunpowder, nails, sulfur and other assorted refinements were fired from the cannons as a form of grisly entertainment for the crew.[2]

Sao Feng's personal quarters, located aft of the main deck, were lavishly decorated with exotic dyes and expensive furniture to emphasize the captain's exalted position. Exotic artifacts, such as acupuncture needles, elixirs and fragrance burners, were among Feng's prized possessions kept in his cabin. Feng was known to perform an ancient ritual with these objects to bring good fortune on voyages.[4]